


Interlude IV - Showtime

by Snugglebuttkitten



Series: A Thousand Lifetimes of Loving You [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak AU, Adrien salt, Akumatized Luka Couffaine, Alya Salt, Angst, Character Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi Lies, Post-Canon, Protective Luka Couffaine, Song fic, class salt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is dead. Everyone says it was suicide. But Luka Couffaine? He knows the truth. She may have pulled the metaphorical trigger, but Lila Rossi might as well have been holding the gun.God pity the man who stands in the way of him enacting his revenge.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: A Thousand Lifetimes of Loving You [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150445
Comments: 22
Kudos: 98





	1. Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> I highly suggest listening to
> 
> [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXiukc6DEc)
> 
> song before reading this.
> 
> This is a songfic very closely based off the lyrics. However, the lyrics have been slightly altered to better suit the story and dialogue.
> 
> Enjoy your daily dose of angst!
> 
> \---Kitty

“She’s finally free.” Chat Noir’s voice sounded choked and strangled as he spoke, clutching the prone, bloodied body closer to his chest. His eyes were squeezed shut, blocking out the floodlights, the crowd of people standing behind the police barriers, the angry red stain on the pavement where the body had laid moments ago after falling almost a thousand feet from the top of the Eiffel Tower. “Welcome home,” he murmured, pressing his lips briefly to the young woman’s forehead. He didn’t open his eyes as his lips lingered ther. Viperion didn’t blame him for that. If he could close his eyes and block all of this out, he would. But he felt like the scene of death before him was burned into his retina and even if he did close his eyes, he would still see it long after he did.

“It’s just you and me now, standing alone,” Chat Noir’s eyes suddenly lifted to meet Viperion’s, anguish filling their peridot depths as they desperately searched the snake’s yellow eyes for some form of relief from the pain. But Viperion could offer no relief. Not when he was spiralling himself, drowning in just as much (if not more) pain than the cat was. He fingered the stud earrings in the young woman’s ears, red with black polka dots, telling Viperion without words that Chat knew the truth of who they were dealing with. Sometime, in the past few days, she had told him the truth. Had this plan already been circulating in her mind at that point? Had she already planned her untimely demise, and chose to share her coveted secret identity with him as a way to prepare him to take over as the new Guardian of the Miracle Box?

“The world is ours,” Chat whispered, dropping his gaze from Viperion’s to the girl in his arms. Viperion had known her identity for far longer than Chat had. He had found out purely by accident. Such was the curse of the Snake Wielder. He saw things that no one else was meant to see and he bottled those things up inside where they couldn’t affect anyone else. He wasn’t supposed to tell her he knew. But he also couldn’t bring himself to lie when she asked him outright. She had taken it in stride. Better than he would have expected. She had simply nodded thoughtfully and then offered to let him keep his Miraculous full time. He had accepted. He would do anything, be anything that she needed to protect her. He would gladly lay down his life for hers. The world wasn’t theirs. It never had been. It was hers. It always had been. Hers to protect, to shape, to nurture. She was creation to Chat Noir’s destruction. No, the world would never be theirs the way it had been hers.

“No it isn’t,” he finally whispered, shaking his head and taking a step forward. He needed to touch her, to feel that last bit of her warmth before she was stiff and cold. But Chat Noir gently laid her down and rose, an air of protectiveness in his posture as he subtly placed himself between Viperion and Ladybug. No, not Ladybug. Marinette. Sweet, sensitive Marinette. He needed to hold her, to apologize for not being there to protect her when she needed him most. He had fought so many enemies on her behalf but the one enemy he couldn’t fight, herself, was the one that had ultimately won.

“We should go,” Chat said, unfurling his fingers to show him the earrings in his hands. He was right, of course. They needed to go. They needed to retrieve the Miracle Box and get it, and Tikki, somewhere safe. Then, and only then, could they allow themselves the time to grieve. But he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave her. He felt that if he walked away, a piece of his soul would tear off and stay behind. Marinette. His heartsong. He couldn’t leave her. Not like this.

“This isn’t finished,” he choked out, shouldering past Chat Noir and dropping to his knees beside the girl. His hands fluttered uselessly for a moment over the still figure before he gathered her up and crushed her to his chest, body shaking with barely suppressed sobs.

“What?” He felt rather than saw Chat turn towards him and the first spark of anger began to coil in his stomach. Marinette had killed herself. She had thrown herself off the Eiffel Tower and fallen almost a thousand feet to her death. But she hadn’t done it without reason. He knew what that reason was. She had been bullied for years now. Ever since she was fourteen and  _ she _ arrived at College Francoise Dupont, Marinette had been on a steady downward spiral that had led to here. To now.

“Even though she’s dead, I’m still seeing red,” he spat out, fingers digging into flesh as he pressed her even closer. As if he had any power left to protect her. “I’m just a shell of her form, that her innocence shed.”

“She lived a good life, and she gave it to you,” Chat Noir stepped forward, brow settling low over his catlike green eyes and Luka had to scoff at the other hero’s naivety.

“Oh is that right?” He asked derisively, his tone causing the other man to flinch back warily. Sure, Marinette had agreed to go out with Luka. She might have even been happy with him for awhile there. But he knew she had never gotten over Adrien. Not completely. She had loved him so completely and Luka had been fine with that. It hurt, but he had been willing to accept anything that Marinette deigned to give him. His love for her had been selfless but Chat? His love for her had been selfish and greedy.

“You know it’s not true. Look at her showered in blood and flowers. Now look in my eyes, she still holds the power!” He lifted his burning gaze to meet Chat Noir’s, for once allowing him to see every ounce of emotion he had endured for the last few years. The hurt and the jealousy, the anger and the hatred, the unconditional love he felt for her and now, the overwhelming grief of losing her. Chat staggered back a step as if he had been hit by a physical wall but Luka wasn’t done.

“After years and tears, and confronting her fears, she’s dead on her record for the world to hear,” he said, gathering the girl in his arms and rising. Chat made to step forward, but a glare leveled at him had him freezing and holding up his hands in a placating gesture. Luka would not be placated. For years he had sat quietly on the sidelines and watched the girl he loved struggle. Not anymore. He couldn’t protect her when she was alive. But he could make sure everyone knew the truth of her death. Extricating one hand, he stabbed a finger in the direction of the watching crowd and in particular one of the many cameras directed his way. His voice rose until he was snarling the words loud enough for all to hear.

“And they’ll all think that it was suicide. But Chat, I know, it was  _ her _ inside,” Luka practically hurled the words at the camera, chest heaving from the emotions surging through him and again Chat lifted his hands in a placating gesture to try and calm him down.

“Lu, you saved her. You held her til the moment she died,” he pleaded, silently urging Luka to accept it. To let that be enough for him. But it wasn’t enough. It would never  _ be _ enough. Not while she was still dead.

“She choked her out of her own goddamn mind!” Luka shouted, advancing a step and forcing Chat to retreat warily. “You promised the world to her, Chat, a goddamn lie.”

“What do you want from me!?” Chat shouted back, desperation and anguish tinging his voice. Normally Luka would back off. He wasn’t one for confrontation but he was hurt and anger and Marinette was dead because  _ he hadn’t been enough. _

“Oh, look outside yourself!”

“I won’t help you take her down,” Adrien said softly, green eyes becoming cold and harsh. Viperion sneered, lips curling to show his fangs.

“Fine, I’ll do it by myself!” He spun on his heel, intent on taking Marinette far away from this place and these people. She was Ladybug. They were Miraculous Holders and surely there was some way to bring a wielder back from the dead. He would go to her house, find the tomb she had told him about. Sass would help him and he would find a spell to bring her back. And then? Then he would get his revenge on everyone who had ever dared to hurt his melodie. Fingers curled around his elbow, forcing him to stop and Viperion jerked, throwing his arm back to slam into Chat Noir’s chest. That was the problem with the cat. He never knew when to leave well enough alone and he was always pushing boundaries where he should have backed off. That might have worked with Ladybug, but he wasn’t going to tolerate that anymore.

“You don’t need it,” he begged.

“Oh, I know that I need it,” he snarled, glaring over his shoulder at the blond.

“Marinette’s been gone for years. I know you can beat it,” he pleaded. He didn’t seem to realize that just made Luka angrier. Marinette hadn’t been gone. Checked out, maybe. Depressed and hurt, absolutely. But she had still been alive and breathing. There had still been a  _ chance _ . Now, they were left scrambling for bread crumbs that  _ might _ lead to a solution  _ if _ they were lucky.

“No, look in the mirror. You both know we fear her. We’re one and the same, we’re afraid to be near her. We utter the name with our spirits defeated, but you let her die. You’re worse than Lila!” Viperion rounded on the leather clad male and advanced, teeth bared as his anger was briefly redirected upon him. He, who Marinette had loved with her whole being. He, who Marinette would have done anything for. He, who had looked her in the face and invalidated her feelings. Made her feel like she wasn’t entitled to them. That the feelings of others were more valuable than her own. He had told her the lies didn’t matter, had promised to stand by her and then stood by and watched as Lila systematically destroyed everything that made Marinette good.

“I told her to end it. It was all for the best,” Chat screamed, tears tracking down his ashen face. He knew. He knew what he had done even if he wouldn’t admit it. He had snuffed her out, forced her to remain quiet the way his father had forced him. He had killed her creativity, her joy, her voice. Lila might have been the distinguishing reason that Marinette had done what she had done, but Adrien was just as much at fault if not more so. Because she had trusted him. And he had let her down.

“So I have you to blame for this pain in my chest!” He accused, hurling the words like daggers.

“NO!” Chat cried out in denial, stumbling back as if he had physically been stabbed. Luka scoffed derisively but at least for today, it wasn’t Adrien with whom he wanted to destroy. It was Lila. Adrien’s punishment could wait for another day, after he had time to fester in the grief and the knowledge that he was partially to blame. But Lila… Lila would pay. Lila would day before the end of the day if he had anything to say about it.

“If you won’t go I will. To avenge a lost soul, I’d kill!” He snapped, starting to turn away again. Chat stepped forward, his own gaze sparking with anger now.

“You’re filling your heart up with hate. All the same-”

“No!”

“As the girl you want face down on the pavement-”

“Save it!” Viperion rounded on Chat Noir until they were nose to nose and glaring daggers, the prone body suspended between them. “It’s time I made a statement. A pity the city has ruined us. We could’ve fooled Paris, just the two of us. But Lila has made a fool of us!” He spat, jerking back and clutching Marinette closer to his chest when Chat would have reached out to try and take her from his arms. No way in hell was he letting that mangy street cat get ahold of her. Not after all he had done and all he had destroyed with all his callousness.

“You’re lost.”

“One, two, three, four. Is this what love is really for? Is this all I get for being hers? The girl in front of me in blood and gore,” he demanded, gaze burning a hole through Chat’s head. No one noticed the Akuma as it fluttered down and touched upon the guitar pick necklace encircling the girl’s neck. The same one he was clutching onto for dear life as his free hand supported her body and kept it pressed to his chest. “Five, six, seven, eight, years put to waste for all I hate! They’ll all know if Lila’s fate,” he snarled as black and purple shadows began to bubble up from the pick, spreading steadily over his and Marinette’s bodies. Chat Noir shouted in alarm and lunged but it was too late. Just before the shadows covered him completely, Luka’s parting words rang through the air like a shotgun.

“The show's about to start. Don’t be late.”


	2. Live and Let Die

Marinette gasped and sat up, heart thundering in her chest. Her hands lifted, patting at her arms, her shoulders, her face in disbelief. She was… she was alive? But that couldn’t be, she had just jumped off the Eiffel Tower. And if she was alive, where  _ was _ she? This wasn’t her bedroom, and it wasn’t anywhere near the Eiffel Tower. She didn’t even know if she was in Paris anymore. Getting slowly to her feet, the young woman turned in a slow circle and took in her surroundings. She was in a temple, of some sort. They looked like the ones that Master Fu had shown her pictures of. The Tibetian Temple where he had grown up and trained to be a Guardian before it was destroyed. But how had she gotten here? Was she dreaming? Was she actually dead and this some sort of purgatory? A punishment for taking her own life?

“Hello!? Is anybody there?” She called, her voice bouncing and echoing of the artfully engraved stone walls. No one answered her and dread curled up and settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach. Would she have to remain in this creepy temple for eternity? Alone with only her thoughts for company? That didn’t sound like a very fun existence. Marinette had never been particularly religious. She didn’t believe in a higher power. Nor did she believe in heaven or hell. She didn’t know what happened after death. She had imagined it was a whole lot of nothingness. Not this eternal isolation.

“Meow.”

The sound startled Marinette so badly that she shrieked, nearly jumping out of her skin. Looking down, she found a black kitten sitting at her feet, green eyes shining up at her. The kitten purred once he knew he had her attention, rising up to rub against her legs before turning and trotting off down a shadowy hallway. Marinette hesitated, not entirely sure she wanted to go down there. But the cat was the only living soul she had seen so far, and sticking with him sounded a lot better than spending eternity alone in the dark, so eventually she forced her legs to carry her after the little cat. The cat looked up and meowed cheerfully as she caught up and already his presence was making Marinette feel much more comfortable. They walked in silence after that for what felt like hours until the absolute darkness slowly began to lighten steadily and a light appeared at the end of the hall. The kitten stopped abruptly and looked up at her expectantly.

“Meow.”

“Um… am I supposed to go on… alone?” She wagered a guess, wishing Plagg was here to translate. He insisted he couldn’t understand actual cats but somehow she felt that was a lie.

“Meow.” The kitten responded, which Marinette decided to take as a yes. Drawing in a deep, steadying breath she nodded and bid the kitten an awkward goodbye before continuing down the path alone. She was a few feet from the blinding white light when she paused and looked back. The green eyed kitten was gone, the hall empty and dark behind her. The girl took a deep breath and stepped into the light. Warmth immediately washed over her, caressing her skin like the softest embrace. Blue eyes screwed up against the overwhelming whiteness, Marinette walked forward until the brightness faded into something more manageable and she blinked her eyes to adjust. A gasp tore from her throat as she looked out over the moth breathtaking field of wildflowers she had ever seen before. Mountains and trees rose off in the distance and a river babbled happily as it cut through the right side of the field. At the center of it all, nestled amongst a small crop of trees, was a house.

The house itself wasn’t anything fancy. It was more of a cottage really, with ivy climbing up its walls and flowers sprouting from the rooftop. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale. Marinette turned around, expecting to see the tunnel she had walked through, but all that was behind her was more wildflowers and the forest beyond. Strange. Shaking off the confusion, Marinette set off towards the little cottage seeing as it was the first sign of human life she had seen since entering this bizarre reality. It was farther than it had looked, and she had to wager she walked through the field for a good hour or two before she reached the front door and lifted one hand to knock. Before she could, the door swung open and a tall, slim woman appeared. She had black hair cut short to frame an angular face. She had amber eyes and a long scar cut through her right eye and eyebrow which should have made her look scary. But the way her eyes sparkled with delight upon seeing Marinette made her look like a gleeful child on Christmas morning.

“Guys, she’s here!” The woman cried before grabbing Marinette and pulling her into a bone crushing hug. The raven-haired girl wheezed in protest and quickly found herself released. “Sorry. So sorry, I get excited sometimes.”

“Um… who are you?” Marinette asked, still thoroughly confused. The older woman laughed.

“Where are my manners? I’m Jean. Come on in, we’ve been waiting for you to arrive, Marinette!” She said, ushering her into the cottage. Marinette wanted to ask how this woman knew her name, but as she stepped past her into the room, the words died in her throat. Four other women, along with the small black cat from earlier, sat on couches around a small circular coffee table. But it was the tiny figure hovering over the table that held her attention.

“Tikki!” She finally found her voice and rushed to the Kwami as she turned, eyes filling with tears as she took in her wielder.

“Marinette!” The Kwami zipped forward and crashed into her holder’s cheek, hugging her as best she could with her little flippers. “Oh, Marinette. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to stop you. I should have been able to do more and I’m so, so-”

“So… so I really did it? I’m really dead?” Marinette’s knees suddenly felt weak and she sagged back, only the sudden support of Jean’s arm wrapping around her keeping her from falling to the ground in a boneless heap. She had really done it. She had killed herself. Oh God. Oh God, she had really gone through with it. What would her parents think? Her friends and Chat Noir? And  _ Luka _ . Oh God, Luka. She hadn’t even said goodbye, or left him a note. He was probably going to hear about this on the news tomorrow and he would be devastated. What… what had she done? How could she have been so  _ selfish _ !?

“Hey, hey, give the girl some air before she has a panic attack,” the cat suddenly spoke, hopping onto the table and padding forward with concern reflected in his green orbs. Marinette struggled to control and calm her breathing as she stared dumbfounded at the black cat. She was barely processing the fact that she had killed herself. Now she was supposed to accept that a  _ cat _ was talking to her!? She was going to throw up. She was going to throw up and wouldn’t that be the most embarrassing thing.

The cat came closer, a purr starting to rumble in his chest causing his words to vibrate when he spoke. “Easy does it, Bugaboo. That… that’s what he calls her, right? Bugaboo?” He glanced around for confirmation before returning his gaze to the girl. “Just think of me as your friendly, neighborhood Chat Noir.” He was one of Plaggs. That made sense. Well, no, it really didn’t because why was he an  _ actual _ cat? Could animals be Miraculous holders? How did that even work? Did the Miraculous turn into a collar or… Perhaps sensing the direction of her thoughts, the cat spoke again.

“It is easier to travel between realms as a cat. I have a human persona as well. I can turn into him, if you’d prefer?”

“No, no. The cat works,” she squeaked. Seeing a cat turn into a man would make this worse. Much worse.

“Right. Then I need you to take some deep breaths for me, Marinette. In and out. In… and out, that’s it,” he encouraged as she did as he asked and took slow, even breaths. Eventually her heart stopped trying to beat its way out of her chest and her breathing slowed until she was no longer lightheaded and on the verge of puking and/or fainting. The cat purred and hopping into her lap, pressing into her fingers when she instinctively pushed them into the fur atop his head.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, I should have broken the news to you better,” Tikki fretfully apologized. Marinette gave her a wobbly smile.

“It’s okay Tikki. But where am I? And who are all these people?” She asked, looking around at the woman who were watching her.

“You know how the Miracle Box works, right? It transports the Kwami within to another plane of existence?” Tikki asked. Marinette nodded so she continued. “This is like that, but for past Miraculous users. If you go further, past the meadow and the forest, you’ll see more past Miraculous Holders. Holders of the cat, the ladybug, the fox, the rat… you get the point.”

“So these women are…”

“Your past selves. Hyppolytia, Mulan, Cleopatra, Jie Jie, and you’ve already met Jean,” Tikki introduced them one by one.

“And I’m Xavier! My Ladybug couldn’t make it today, but you might be so lucky as to meet her eminence one day Baby Bug,” the cat meowed, flicking his tail and puffing out his chest. Marinette chuckled, his playful personality reminding her of her own Chat. He was going to be devastated.

“Are you guys here to welcome me to Ladybug Heaven or…” Marinette was still a bit confused as to what they were all doing there. Tikki frowned and shook her head at the question.

“No, we’re here to send you back,” she said. That… that is not what Marinette was expecting and Jean quickly popped in to add, “if you want to go back, that is.”

“Yes, we cannot force you to go back,” Cleopatra added, looking bored as she reclined on an arm chair across the table from Marinette. She was wearing some sort of headband made out of gold, her Miraculous embedded within it. She also had black hair, though hers was more of a jet black than the blue-black that Marinette and Jean possessed. 

“I… I can go back?” Marinette asked, dumbfounded.

“If we combine your powers at the right moment, when a Miracle Cure is cast, we can send you back. But you have to really, truly,  _ want _ to go back, Marinette. Do you want to go back?” Tikki blinked at her imploringly and Marinette hesitated. Did she want to go back? Back to the real world. Back to her shitty life. Back to Lila and her cronies? Back to Luka… Luka who had been so kind to her. Luka who loved her unconditionally and would be devastated if she died. She didn’t want to hurt him. And she didn’t want to hurt her parents. Life was hard, but maybe she could put up with it for just a little while longer. Until Lycee ended and she could leave Lila and her former friends far behind. Maybe this didn’t have to be the end for her. Maybe… maybe she could even be happy this time. If she really, really tried.

“I want to go back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
